Musical instruments exist in many types and forms, ranging from the simple wind instruments such as the whistle or flute to instruments which rely on mechanical air pressure or electronic means to produce the desired sounds. Most musical instruments require the user to possess a music reading ability in combination with a certain degree of skill with the particular instrument. Other musical instruments require the user to have an "ear" for music, along with a considerable degree of skill with the particular instrument.
Conventionally, musical tone is generated by playing a piano, a violin, a guitar, a drum or other musical instruments. The musical tone is also often accompanied by a voice generated from the player who sings. Meanwhile, the conventional musical tone generating apparatus controls tone characteristics, such as the tone color, the tone pitch and the tone volume of the musical tone in response to the playing for example, of an electronic musical instrument. Also, many musicians tend to move with the music they are playing but are limited in this expression by the confining characteristics of the instruments, except in the case of some of the lighter, hand-held instruments. Few, if any, instruments provide a means for a musician to create music responsive to body movements or are capable of converting the movement of a player into a musical tone.
There are step-on type, tone scale devices that exist for children, wherein step plates are arranged in accordance with a tone scale and are provided on a somewhat wide and rigid platform. By stepping on the plates, the corresponding musical sounds are then produced from an attached or external speaker. Unfortunately, these devices do not fulfill the needs of the serious professional musician or performer and are therefore unused and readily dismissed by most musicians and performers.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 5,081,896 Hiyoshi, et al 21 January 1992 4,924,743 Tsai 15 May 1990 4,245,539 Jones 20 January 1981 4,121,488 Akiyama 24 October 1978 3,922,944 Kurosaki, et al 2 December 1975 ______________________________________
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,896 Hiyoshi, et al patent discloses a musical tone generating apparatus that converts the movement of a person into a musical tone. The movements include a walking or running movement, a jumping movement, a rubbing movement, a beating movement, a turning movement and the like. More specifically, tone pitch, tone color, tone volume or other parameters of the musical tone to be generated are controlled based on various elemental values. These values include the value of moving speed, a jumped height or of frictional heat produced by the rubbing movement of a player's hands.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,743 Tsai patent discloses a set of sounding blocks which can be optionally arranged. Each block is provided with an electronic or a mechanical sounding device. Upon a treading on an individual block by a player's foot, the sounding block can be actuated to produce musical sound with respect to a specific scale note and upon a continuous treading on the blocks, an entire musical composition or song can be completed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,539 Jones patent discloses an apparatus for providing signals of varying volume and pitch. The signals are functions of the magnitude and distribution respectively, of a weight placed upon a platform hinged at one corner and swingable in mutually orthogonal directions. Sensors convert the physical displacements occurring at first and second corners opposite of the platform adjacent to the hinged corner into signals for controlling the volume and pitch of an output signal. Alternately, displacement of the operator's fingers.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,488 Akiyama patent discloses a step-on tone scale play device that includes a flexible mat within which is arranged a plurality of flexible switch elements in accordance with a tone scale. The mat is adapted to produce corresponding music sounds when marks, configured on the surface of the mat that indicate the position of each switch element, are stepped on.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,944 Kurosaki et al patent discloses a stepping musical machine for physical and acoustic training of children such that stepping boards are arranged on a jumpy sheet, a net or the like, stretched in a taut condition. The machine is adaptable so that when children jump on the stepping boards, while playing on the machine, particular sounds corresponding to the respective stepping boards are produced.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to the remaining cited patents.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 5,406,176 Sugden 11 April 1995 5,373,096 Suzuki et al 13 December 1994 5,329,431 Taylor et al 12 July 1994 5,192,823 Suzuki et al 9 March 1993 5,166,463 Weber 24 November 1992 5,105,708 Suzuki et al 21 April 1992 5,063,821 Battle 12 November 1991 5,001,852 Schwartz 3 March 1991 4,043,241 Liu 23 August 1977 3,070,907 Rocco 1 January 1963 ______________________________________